Józef Robakowski

Born	February 20, 1939(1939-02-20) Poznań, Poland
Lives in	Łódź, Poland
Web	Culture.pl, Wikipedia-PL
Collections	Arton 20, MoMA Warsaw 13, Pompidou 5, ZKM 3, Kontakt (Vienna) 3, CSW Toruń 2, Zachęta 2, MS Łódź 1, Mocak Kraków 1, MSW Szczecin 1

Józef Robakowski (1939) is a Polish artist and filmmaker associated with the avant-garde film movement of the 1960s and 1970s.

Robakowski is the author of films, photographic series, installations, drawings, objects, conceptual projects, theoretician and academy professor. He studied art history in the Department of Fine Arts of the Mikołaj Kopernik University in Torun, and cinematography at the National Higher School of Film, Television and Theatre (PWSFTviT) in Łódź. In Toruń, he co-founded the artistic collectives Oko (1960), Zero-61 (1961-69), and Krąg (1965-67), and was a member of the 'Pętla' Student Cine Club (1960-66). In Łódź, he co-organised the Workshop of Film Form (from 1970), and the 'Stacja Ł' Television Creative Group (1991-92), which undertook experimental work in connecting film picture and sound, permanently entering the Polish arena of conceptual and postconceptual art of the 70s. He teaches at the National Higher School of Film, Television and Theatre in Łódź.

An integral part of Robakowski's work are his statements and self-commentaries, as well as numerous programming texts and manifestoes, e.g. "Calling Once Again for 'Pure Film' " (1971), "Video Art - a Chance to Approach Reality" (1976), or "Manipulating!" (1988). Since the 1960s, Robakowski has remained an active animator of cultural life, as the author of a number of important initiatives (e.g. the Exchange Gallery), organiser and curator of exhibitions, and originator and editor of publications ("Nieme Kino", "Pst!"). Galeria Wymiany (Exchange Gallery) has been running since 1978 as a private gallery of present art, the aim of which is exchanging artistic thoughts, provoking creative initiatives. The gallery collects films, videotapes, documentation, it also produces video films and is a contact office for the international artistic movement Infermental.

Works

Experimental short films and videos

• 6 000 000, 1962, 5'. 16 mm.
• Po człowieku [After the Man], 1970, 8'30", 35 mm. Realised with Ryszard Meissner; collaboration: Tadeusz Junak.
• Rynek [Market], 1970, 4'20". 35 mm. Collaboration: Ryszard Meissner and Tadeusz Junak (The Film Form Workshop). [1]
• 22x, 1971, 5'24". 35 mm.
• Próba [Test], 1971, 5'44". 35 mm. Realisation of the Film Form Workshop. [2]
• Próba II [Test II], 1971, 1'58". 35 mm. Realisation of the Film Form Workshop. [3]
• Prostokąt dynamiczny [The Dynamic Rectangle], 1971/1972, 5'. 35 mm. Realisation of the Film Form Workshop.
• Idę [I'm Going], 1973, 2'56". 35 mm. Film performance. Realisation of the Film Form Workshop. [4]
• Wacław Antczak Reinkarnacja [Wacław Antczak Reincarnation], 1974, 4'. Realisation of the Film Form Workshop.
• Drzwi - Okno - Fotel [Door - Window - Armchair], 1974, 22'. 35 mm. Collaboration: Ryszard Waśko; PWSFTviT.
• Something Happened Behind the Window, 1974/1994, 4'. Film/VHS.
• Ćwiczenia na dwie ręce, 1976, 7'14". 16 mm.
• Z mojego okna [From My Window], 1978/1999, 20'. 16 mm/Video.
• Pamięci L.Breżniewa, 1982.
• Państwo wojny [War State], 1982, 12'. VHS.
• O palcach [About Fingers], 1982, 5'. VHS.
• Sztuka to potęga!, 1984.
• Powietrza! [More Air!], 1985, 2'48". 16 mm. [5]
• Reinkarnacja II dla P. W. Antczaka (Mistrzowi...), 1985, 5'. VHS.
• Mój teatr [My Theatre], 1985, 8'. VHS.
• Kino to potęga [Cinema is Power], 1985, 6'30". 16 mm.
• Taniec z drzewami [Dancing with Trees], 1985, 2'30". VHS.
• Tańczę dla Ewy Z. [I Dance for Eve Z.], 1985, 4'. VHS.
• Zapis energetyczny: Moskwa i moje oko... [Energy Record: Moskwa and My Eye...], 1985, 27'56". VHS. [6]
• Samochody, samochody! [Cars, Cars!], 1985, 2'. VHS.
• La - Lu La - Lu, 1985, 2'. VHS.
• Dla Warsztatu Formy Filmowej: Bliżej-Dalej [To The Workshop of The Film Form: Nearer-Farther], 1985, 4'. VHS.
• Idzie ulicą [He Goes Down the Street], 1986, 5'. VHS.
• Dziewczyny z Jarocina [Girls from Jarocin], 1986, 3'. VHS.
• Party z Lutosławskim [A Party With Lutoslawski], 1987, 27'. VHS.
• Lochy Manhattanu [The Dungeons of Manhattan], 1989, 65'10". VHS.
• Byłem chłopcem w Nowym Jorku [I Was a Boy in New York], 1989, 4'. VHS.
• Pomarańczowa Alternatywa w Łodzi [Orange Alternative in Łódź], 1989, 38'. VHS.
• Dotknięcie Józefa [Joseph’s Touch], 1989, 18'. VHS.
• Chodź do mnie [Come to Me], 1989/90, 5'. VHS.
• Ojej, boli mnie noga [My Leg Hurts], 1990, 2'32". VHS. [7]
• video WIND, 1990, 3'. VHS.
• Świetliki [Fireflies], 1990, 2'40". VHS.
• Moje videomasochizmy II [My Videomasochisms II], 1990, 4'. VHS.
• Dwie pieśni nastrojów [Two Songs of the Moods], 1990, 3'30". VHS.
• Gnuśna linia [Idle Line], 1992, 3'00". VHS. [8]
• Taniec z lajkonikiem [Dance With a Lajkonik], 1992, 2'53". VHS.
• Jadziu, odbierz telefon... [Yaga, Answer the Phone...], 1992, 5'. VHS.
• Videocałuski [Video Kisses], 1992, 2'. VHS.
• Szukaj [Search], 1992, 1'17". VHS.
• 1, 2, 3, 4 (Videopoliczki) [1, 2, 3, 4 (Light Cheeks)], 1993, 1'31". VHS. [9]
• Videosong, 1993, 4'. VHS.
• Twarz telewizyjna [TV Face], 1994, 3'. VHS.
• Jabłko akustyczne The Apple (Acoustic)], 1994, 4'. VHS.
• Jestem elektryczny [I Am Electric], 1996-2005, 13'. Video.
• Imuplzatory [Impulsators], 2000, 2'33". VHS. [10]
• Impulsator VI, 2001, 3'. VHS. Realised with Krzysztof Lewandowski; music: Zakir.
• Polak mały... [The Little Pole...], 2003, 3'. Video.
• Manifest energetyczny! [The Energy Manifest!], 2003, 2'. Video.
• Mechaniczny operator [The Mechanical Cameraman], 2003, 7'. Video.
• Uwaga: ŚWIATŁO! [Attention: LIGHT!], 2004, 5'. Video. Collaboration: Wiesław Michalak.
• Rozmowa z matką [Conversation with My Mother], 2004, 7'. Video.
• Rozmyślania przy lizaniu [Meditations While Lisking], 2007, 6'. Video.
• Aż het, znad Bzury..., 2008, 2'. Video.
• Mordę skuję [Smash Your Face In], 2010, 3'. Video.
• Piegi [Freckles], 2014, 10'. Video.
• Len - Lu, 2014, 2'. Video.
• Okulary [Glasses], 2014, 8'40". Video.

Cycles of photographs

• Foto-malarstwo, 1958-1967.
• Fotografia astralna, 1972-2002.
• Kąty energetyczne, 1975-2004.
• Czeluście, 1978.
• Termogramy, 1998-2000.

Installations and objects

• Autoportret przestrzenny, 1969.
• Krzesło, 1970.
• Rolki, 1970.
• Równoważnia dźwiękowa, obiekt interaktywny, 1972.
• Pan Jeleń, auto videoepitafium, 1990-1994.
• Kiner I i Kiner II, 1992-2004.

Documentary films about art

• Portret Tymona Niesiołowskiego, 1970.
• Żywa Galeria, 1974/1975.
• Witkacy, 1980.
• Konstrukcja w Procesie, 1981-1982. From the cycle Uderzenie Sztuki: portrety telewizyjne - Wacław Szpakowski.
• Katarzyna Kobro.
• Władysław Strzemiński.

Writings

• "Jeszcze raz o 'czysty film'" [Calling Once Again for 'Pure Film'], Polska 10, Warsaw, 1971; repr. in Robotnik Sztuki 4, Elbląg, 1972. (Polish)
• "Video Art - szansa podejścia rzeczywistości" [Video Art - a Chance to Approach Reality], in Video Art, Lublin: Galeria Labirynt, 1976. Catalogue text. (Polish)
• "Manipuluję!" [Manipulating!], 1988. From the invitation flyer to the exhibition Kąty energetyczne, Mala Galeria, Warsaw. (Polish)
• "The Live Gallery. Lodz progressive art movement 1969-1992", c1997. (English)
• more

Interviews

• Alicja Cichowicz, "Józef Robakowski's Multimedia Exchange Gallery", trans. Zbigniew Kowalski and Anna Petrie, n.d. (English)
• Józef Robakowski Interviewed by Hans Ulrich Obrist, 2010, 76 min. Video.

Catalogues

• with Paul Sharits, Attention: Light!, Buffalo, NY: Hallwalls, 2004.

Literature

• Łukasz Ronduda, "Strategie subwersywne w sztukach medialnych. Realizacje found footage i video scratch Józefa Robakowskiego", in From Monument to Market: Video Art and Public Space, eds. Piotr Krajewski and Violetta Krajewska, Wroclaw: WRO Art Center, 2005. (Polish)
  • "Subversive Strategies in the Media Arts: Józef Robakowski’s Found Footage and Video Scratch", trans. Sherill Howard Pociecha, in From Monument to Market: Video Art and Public Space, eds. Piotr Krajewski and Violetta Krajewska, Wroclaw: WRO Art Center, 2005. [11] (English)
• Marielle Nitoslawska, "Monument. Market. Manhattan", in From Monument to Market: Video Art and Public Space, eds. Piotr Krajewski and Violetta Krajewska, Wroclaw: WRO Art Center, 2005. (English)
  • "Monument. Market. Manhattan", trans. Anna Molik and Jacek Dziubiński, in From Monument to Market: Video Art and Public Space, eds. Piotr Krajewski and Violetta Krajewska, Wroclaw: WRO Art Center, 2005. (Polish)
• Karol Sienkiewicz, "Józef Robakowski", Culture.pl, 2009. (Polish)
  • "Józef Robakowski", Culture.pl, 2009. (English)
  • "Юзеф Робаковский", Culture.pl, 2015. (Russian)

See also

Poland#Video_art

Links

• Home page (archived)
• Vimeo
• Biography and selected works on Forgotten Heritage
• 2012 exhibition
• Exhibition of Robakowski's art collection, 2013.